Automatic device for blocking railroad-cars



amen was: izliu'w Patented 22, 1895.

III

AUTOMATIG DEVICE FOR BLOCKING RAILROAD CARS;

J.'H. PATIN, W. SCHMIDT &1 F. J. GILBERT.

(No Model.)

NITED STATES PATENT Orrrca.

JOSEPH H. PATINAND WILLIAM SCHMIDT, OF NEW IBERIA, AND FRANK J. GILBERT, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR BLOCKING RAILROAD-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 548,269, dated October 22, 1895.

Application filed July 24,1895- Serial No. 557,043- (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern).-

Be it known that we, J osErH H. PATIN and WILLIAM SCHMIDT, of New Iberia, in the par- Ish of Iberia, and FRANK J. GILBERT, of New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans, State of Louisiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Devices for Blocking Railroad-Cars on Sidings; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, wh ch will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specifica- Ion.

Our invention relates to means for blocking railroad-cars on sidings, so as to prevent their being moved, by wind or otherwise, onto or 1n proximity to the main rails, the blockin g mechanism being operated by the switchlever in such manner that when the switch is opened the block or stop will be thrown up' out of the way of the cars, and when the switch is closed the block will be thrown down and form an obstruction which will block the cars and prevent movement thereof.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a railway and siding with our improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a section on the line X X, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view.

In the said drawings the reference-numeral 1 designates the main rails, 2 the siding-rails, and 3 the switch-rails. Near each end of the siding one of the outer rails thereof is formed with a slot 4.

The numeral 5 designates the switch-bar, secured to two of the movable main rails. This bar is connected by a rod 6 with a crank 7 on a rotatable shaft 8, to which the switchlever 9 is secured.

The parts so far described, with the exception of the slotted siding-rails, may be of any ordinary or suitable construction.

The shaft 8 at its opposite end is provided with a cog-wheel 10, which meshes with a C0,,- wheel 12 on a counter-shaft 13, running parallel with the shaft 8. The shafts are journaled in brackets. or bearings 14:, secured to the ties. The numeral 15 designates a block secured to the outer end of shaft 13, and is adapted to engage with the slot in the sidingrail. There is shown in the drawings only one end of the siding and the blocking mechanism, but the mechanism will be at each end, as will be understood by those familiar with the art to which the invention pertains.

The operation is as follows: W hen the switch is closed to the main track, so that cars thereon will be prevented from running on the siding, the blocks will be depressed and engaged with the slots in the siding-rails, so that they will form obstructions to stop wild cars on the siding from running onto or in proximity to the main rails. Then the switch-lever and bars are actuated to open the switch to allow the cars to run onto the siding, the shaft 8 will be rotated, and its cog-wheel meshing with cog-wheel 12 will rotate the counter-shaft 13, throwing the block up out of the slot and removing the obstruction.

From the above it will be seen that the block is depressed when the switch is closed to the main track and thrown up out of the way of the cars when the switch is opened to the siding.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim is- The combination with the rails composing the siding, one of the outer rails of which near each end thereof is formed with a slot, the switch rails and the main rails, of the switch bar, the lever for operating the same, the shaft to which said lever is secured, the cog-wheel, the counter shaft the cog-wheel thereon, the bearings and the block secured to the countershaft and adapted to be engaged with the slot and disengaged therefrom by the movement of the switch lever; substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own We have hereunto affixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH H. PATIN. WILLIAM SCHMIDT. FRANK J. GILBERT. Witnesses:

LEON LEMAIN, ULGER MESTAYER. 

